BACCALAUREATE  SERMON. 


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BACCALAUREATE  SERMON 


TO    THE 


GRADUATING  CLASS 


OF   THE  %,  "  I93P 

"■nun* 


fnbiana  ^tate  Eratesiti, 


Sabbath,  June  23d,  1861, 


BY 


Rev.   CYRUS   NUTT,  D.  D.,   President. 


Published  by  the  Senior  Class. 


Lux  et  Veritas, 


INDIANAPOLIS: 

INDIANAPOLIS   JOURNAL    COMPANY,    PRINTERS. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SENIOR  CLASS. 


J.  D.  Alexander, 
R.  S.  Edgar, 

S.    G.    KlRKWOOD, 

B.  E.  Long, 

J.    S     NUTT, 

John  Roberts, 
B.  F.  Rogers, 
John  Watts, 
H.  Benedict, 
Simeon  Green, 
J.  W.  Welch, 


S.  W.  Dodds* 
B  G.  Hanna, 
H.  C.  Legg, 
J.  H.  Loudon, 
J.  C.  Orchard, 
J.  C.  Robinson, 
J.  H.  Rogers, 
H.  C.  Barton, 
S.  A.  Emison, 
R.  M.  J.  Miller, 
T.  W.  Zook. 


SERMON. 


1  Corinthians  16  :  13. — Quit  you  like  Men. 

Every  nation  has  her  heroes,  or  Great  Men; — giants  they 
are,  in  intellect  or  in  action;  for  whose  honor  she  is  jealous, 
and  deeply  interested  that  her  own  heroes  shall  be  excelled 
in  renown  by  none.  The  legends  of  classic  fable  are  but  the 
poetic  rehearsal  of  the  glorious  deeds  of  ancient  great  men. 

The  Greeks  were  proud  of  their  Solon,  Pericles,  Miltiadoes, 
Plato, — their  orators  and  poets.  No  less  than  seven  cities 
contended  most  earnestly  for  the  honor  of  having  given  birth 
to  Homer,  the  Prince  of  Epic  bards.  Rome  boasted  of  her 
Romulus,  Cincinnatus,  Cipios,  Marcelluses,  and  Caesars. 
Germany  of  her  Charlemagne,  Luther,  Charles  the  V.,  Leib- 
nitz, Capernicus,  Kant  and  Goethe.  France,  of  her  Martel, 
Francis  L,  Turenes,  Mountmorencies,  Louises  and  Napoleons ; 
her  Richlieus  and  Mazarins;  her  La  Places,  Arago,  and  La- 
verrier;  her  Guizot,  Cousin,  and  Lamartines.  The  heart,  of 
the  Englishman  expands,  as  he  recalls  the  names  of  Alfred, 
Coeur  de  Leon,  the  Edwards,  Marlboroughs,  Crorawells,  and 
Wellingtons,  and  those  of  Bacon,  Locke,  Milton  and  Shakes- 
peare. America,  young  as  she  is,  has  her  host  of  heroes,  her 
Washington,  Warren,  Putnam,  Greene,  Gates,  and  Montgom- 
ery; her  Edwards,  Prescott,  Bancroft,  Clay,  Webster,  and 
Calhoun. 


HERO     WORSHIP. 

Hero  worship  is  natural  to  the  heart  of  man.  In  remote 
ages,  those  distinguished  for  great  deeds,  whose  lives  were 
devoted  to  the  benefit  of  humanity,  were  placed  at  death,  by 
their  admiring  and  grateful  survivors,  among  the  Gods.  A 
whole  galaxy  with  numerous  attendant  constellations  of  stars, 
bestud  the  ancient  mythological  heavens.  Even  in  the  old 
Augustine  age  of  science,  history,  and  philosophy,  when  the 
earthly  sceptre  fell  from  his  hand  palsied  by  death,  the  Roman 
Emperor  was  transmitted  very  ceremoniously  to  the  abodes 
of  the  Gods,  and  numbered  with  the  celestial  orders.  The 
Roman  Church,  in  the  deification  of  the  Saints,  follows  the  il- 
lustrious precedent;  and  has  even  outdone  the  worshippers 
of  Olympus,  in  multiplying  the  Senate  of  the  skies.  Though 
we  may  not  appi  oximate  the  same  extreme  of  absurdity,  if 
not  profanity,  there  is  no  danger  that  the  truly  great  among 
us,  will  want  admireis  and  flatterers.  ISo  flaming  meteors 
will  cross  the  heavens  without  attracting  the  wonder  of  the 
million.  The  examples  furnished  by  our  own  history  show 
that  the  American  mind  and  heart  are  no  exception  to  the 
rule.  The  influence  wielded,  while  living,  by  Jefferson,  Jack- 
son, Clay,  and  Webster,  and  tire  numerous  hosts  of  devoted 
friends,  who  gathered  around  them,  and  the  imperishable 
honors  which  still  encircle  their  names,  show  the  power  of 
greatness  to  sway  the  masses,  even  of  the  sternest  republi- 
cans. Some  of  the  wisest  patriots,  and  warmest  friends  of 
our  free  institutions,  have  had  sad  forebodings  as  to  their  per- 
manency, when  they  have  witnessed  the  strength  of  this  sen- 
timent among  the  people,  as  from  time  to  time  it  has  elevated 
some  military  leader  to  the  presidential  chair;  and  the  note 
of  earnest  warning  has  been  given,  lest  some  American  Caesar, 
Cromwell,  or  Napoleon,  should  abuse  his  power,  and  seizing 
the  reigns  of  government,  install  himself  perpetual  dictator, 
aud  crusli  tho  republic, 


DESIRE   OF   GREATNESS. 

Greatness  is  the  aim  of  all  generous  minded  youth.  Those 
possessed  of  a  noble  nature,  have  a  burning  desire  for  distinc- 
tion, glowing  in  their  hearts  and  nerving  them  to  the  most  ar- 
duous efforts.  Themistocles,  when  but  a  youth,  remarked,  that 
since  the  battle  of  Marathon,  he  was  unhappy,  "  that  the  fame 
of  Miltiadles  would  not  let  him  sleep."  He  afterwards  took  the 
first  honors  of  Greece,  and  became  the  hero  of  Sal  amis. 

To  become  great,  many  seem  to  suppose,  that  they  have 
only  to  imitate  the  customs,  imbibe  the  habits,  and  practice 
the  peculiarities  and  eccentricities  of  some  acknowledged 
great  man,  and  of  necessity,  the  same  renown  will  wait  upon 
their  steps.  No  mistake  more  ridiculous  and  ruinous  could 
be  made.  The  intemperance  and  dissoluteness  of  a  Byron, 
have  proved  fatal  to  many  promising  young  men,  who  affected 
the  garb  and  deportment  of  the  great  poet,  and  thought  they 
were  Byron's.  The  copies,  alas!  in  every  case  bear  no  traces 
of  the  original,  except  in  vices  and  follies.  Another  mistake 
is  made  with  scarcely  less  frequency,  which  is  quite  as  dis- 
gusting as  the  former.  It  is  the  assumption  of  the  air,  pomp, 
and  dignity,  erroneously  supposed  to  belong  to  great  men; 
and  the  claiming  the  respect  and  honor  pertaining  to  the 
genuine  article.  Such  look  around  with  consequential  atti- 
tudes to  see  if  their  importance  is  duly  recognized.  These 
i  are  the  counterfeits  of  the  genuine  coin — imitations  of  nature's 
noblemen  ;  gaseous  inflations,  subject  to  frequent  and  amusing 
collapses.  These  apparitions  seldom  do  any  harm,  as  the 
community  easily  detect  the  bogus  specimens,  and  consign 
them  to  merited  contempt. 

It  is  a  subject  of  the  highest  importance  to  know  clearly 
the  elements  of  true  greatness.  Thousands  of  young  hearts 
are  burning  with  a  laudable  ambition  to  become  distinguished 
as  laborers  for  the  advancement  of  our  rnce ;  and  to  leive  a 
bright  record  on  the  page  of  history,  and  their  names  em- 
balmed, by  the  good  which  they  have  done  in  the  hearts  of 


coming  generations.  In  this  field  all  should  labor,  and  he 
who  thus  distinguishes  himself  above  his  fellows  is  truly  great. 
The  truly  great  stands  above  the  masses,  remarkable  for  the 
possession  of  superior  powers  and  their  diligent  employment 
in  doing  good.  The  great  man  is  such  because  he  does  more 
for  humanity  than  common  men.  Great  powers  unemployed 
darken  and  expire.  Great  minds,  like  the  fire-fly,  are  seen 
only  when  on  the  wing.  If  exerted  for  no  useful  purpose 
they  are  like  the  swells  of  the  ocean — a  great  wind,  or  a 
great  noise.  If  those  vast  powers  are  exerted  for  distinction, 
their  possessor  may  be  a  great  monster — a  tornado — an  earth- 
quake— a  great  curse — but  not  a  great  man. 

Great  men  are  born,  not  made.  There  must  be  a  founda- 
tion before  there  can  be  a  splendid  edifice  erected.  A  supe- 
rior mind  must  be  his  inheritance,  and  yet  it  must  be  cultiva- 
ted. Cicero's  answer  to  the  old  mooted  question,  "Whether 
nature  or  education  avails  more  to  form  the  truly  great," 
will  never  be  bettered.  He  says,  "  It  is  doubted  whether 
great  men  are  more  indebted  to  nature  or  education;  but 
when  great  natural  endowments  are  united  with  the  best  cul- 
ture the  highest  excellence  is  attained."  The  best  natural 
gifts  will  not,  however,  ensure  a  passport  to  renown;  since 
they  may  be  buried  and  useless.  Education  is  to  nature  what 
sculpture  is  to  the  marble ;  it  brings  out  the  full  developed  form 
in  all  its  chiseled  beauty,  from  the  rude  block.  There  may 
be  some  truth  in  the  lines  of  the  poet : 

"Full  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  its  fragrance  on  the  desert  air." 

This  partakes,  however,  much  more  of  poetry  than  of  fact. 
It  may  be  true  in  those  climes  where  caste  is  a  fixture,  pre- 
senting an  impassable  barrier  to  distinction.  But  it  is  a  signifi- 
cant fact,  that  the  most  distinguished  in  the  fields  of  literature 
are  from  the  lower  walks  in  life.  The  fiercer  and  more  intense 
the  struggle  requisite  to  overcome  the  obstacles,  but  nerves 
the  generous  soul  with  greater  force,  which,  when  the  barriers 


arc  once  surmounted  and  the  fetters  broken,  carries  its  sub- 
ject in  a  higher  flight,  to  the  loftiest  elevation. 

SELF-CULTURE. 

Great  men  make  themselves  great.  All  true  culture  is  the 
result  of  individual  self-effort.  The  mightiest  intellect,  in 
embryo,  would  perish  undeveloped  without  the  most  vigorous 
exercise.  Seminaries,  Libraries,  Colleges,  Universities,  are 
of  no  avail  where  indolence  is  supreme.  Labratories  and 
books  are  of  no  value  to  those  that  will  not  use  them.  They 
furnish  the  tools  and  material  for  the  workmen,  and  a  con- 
stant stimulus  to  exertion.  Improvement  must  come  from 
within.  Helps  may  come  from  without,  but  each  must  help 
himself  if  he  would  be  a  man.  Thousands  go  forth  from  the 
institutions  of  learning  bearing  their  diplomas  properly  au- 
thenticated; yet  very  few  rise  above  their  fellows,  to  that  de- 
gree which  would  justify  the  appellation — great.  Many  rely 
too  much  upon  their  external  advantages,  their  degrees  and 
college  honors,  and  on  this  ground  alone  think  that  all  should 
regard  them  as  sir  oracle.  Great  is  their  disappointment 
when  they  find  that  they  are  but  common  men.  A  young 
man  from  the  east  settled  in  our  glorious  west,  surrounded  by 
circumstances  favorable  to  success.  Attending  a  political 
meeting  he  aimed  to  take  a  leading  part,  and  made  several 
speeches,  when  a  plain  unassuming  farmer  took  him  down 
effectually,  answering  his  arguments,  and  carrying  his  meas- 
ures against  his  young  opponent.  The  young  man  became 
exceedingly  vexed,  and  when  the  convention  closed,  he  took 
his  rural  competitor  to  task  for  his  presumption;  saying  that 
he  regarded  it  as  a  great  outrage,  that  he,  an  unlearned  man, 
should  presume  to  oppose  him,  who  had  graduated  at  two 
Universities,  and  then  had  attended  two  law  schools  and  taken 
his  parchments.  I  do  not  doubt  it,  in  the  least,  said  the  farmer. 
I  once  had  a  calf  which  sucked  two  cows  and  afterwards  suck- 
ed two  more;  and  the  more  he  sucked  the  greater  calf  he 
became ! 


GREAT   IN   HEART. 

It  is  not  intellect  alone,  however  that  makes  the  great  man ; 
he  must  have  also  a  great  soul.  His  heart  must  be  noble  and 
strong.  Great  sentiments  are  also  requisite.  Intellect  may 
gleam  and  dazzle;  so  does  the  Aurora  Borealis  over  the  im- 
mense fields  of  ice  and  snow  of  the  arctic  regions.  It  re- 
quires the  warmth  of  a  genial  sun  to  unfold  the  productions,  so 
noble  and  beautiful,  of  the  temperate  and  tropical  climes. 
The  affections  are  the  sun  of  our  moral  nature.  They  furn- 
ish the  stimulus  to  action — the  driving  wheels  of  life.  In  this 
department  is  included  the  consciousness  of  right — the  power 
of  moral  obligation,  than  which,  nothing  contributes  more  to 
give  force  to  character,  and  to  impell  its  possessor  to  a  lofty 
and  sublime  career.  The  axe  may  be  of  keenest  edge  and 
tempered  to  perfection;  and  yet,  if  no  hand  wield  the  instru- 
ment no  work  will  be  done.  The  sword  may  be  a  true  Damas- 
cus blade,  but  if  no  soldier's  arm,  strong  and  skillful,  wields 
it,  no  execution  is  wrought,  no  foe  is  slain.  The  engine  may 
be  perfect  in  its  construction,  yet  it  stands  unmoved  upon  its 
iron  track,  but  when  the  fires  are  kindled  and  the  steam  ap- 
plied, how  speedily  it  is  off  with  the  velocity  of  lightning 
on  her  distant  journey.  Such  is  a  great  heart  to  a  mighty 
intellect;  the  soldier's  arm  to  the  sword;  the  steam  to  the  Lo- 
comotive; the  powder  ignited  to  the  cannon  ball ! 

It  is  said,  "  The  world  knows  not  her  greatest  men."  Of 
one  species  of  greatness  this  may  be  true,  a  great  intellect 
without  the  impelling  power  of  strong  passions.  There  are 
doubtless  many  who  possess  native  gifts  of  a  high  order, 
sufficient  to  carry  them  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame;  but 
they  are  never  roused  to  intense  exertion,  and  for  want  of 
excitement,  slumber  out  their  lives,  and  their  graves  are  un- 
known. In  all  such  cases  there  is  real  weakness,  and  that  at 
a  vital  point.  The  passions  are  weak — force  is  wanting. 
True  greatness  will  make  itself  known !  Amid  the  din  and 
noise  of  this  busy  world,  where  each  is  intent  upon  his  own 


9 

schemes,  and  projects,  it  requires  tremendous  efforts,  a  clap 
of  thunder,  an  earthquake  to  arrest  the  attention  of  others, 
and  turn  the  rushing  tide  of  their  thoughts  and  feelings  into 
our  channels — our  plans  and  measures;  and  induce  them  to 
weigh  their  value,  and  adopt  them  as  their  own.  Man  must 
be  deeply  in  earnest  himself  before  he  can  gain  the  attention 
of  earnest  men.  If  not  in  deep  earnest,  the  world  either 
pities  his  weakness  or  condemns  his  hypocrisy. 

MOTIVE    TO    SELF-CULTURE. 

The  motive  to  self-culture  should  not  be  simply  the  posses- 
sion of  excellence;  not  the  acquisition  of  talent  intended  to 
be  buried  or  laid  away  in  a  napkin.  This  would  be  the  ex- 
treme of  selfisness — the  miser's  trade.  We  should  covet 
earnestly  the  best  gifts  only  for  the  sake  of  being  more  use- 
ful. The  effects,  the  results,  should  ever  be  kept  in  view.  All 
personal  improvement  should  look  to  this  end.  God  did  not 
create  suns,  stars,  and  planets  to  shine  on  their  own  account; 
but  to  reflect  His  glory,  and  shed  light  throughout  the  uni- 
verse. The  bright  orbs  glittering  in  the  intellectual  and 
moral  heavens  were  not  ere.ited  for  themselves  but  to  glorify 
their  maker,  and  shed  their  light  on  the  darkness  of  the 
moral  world.  This  devotion  to  the  true  objects  of  life  on 
earth — this  earnestness  must  have  its  being  in  the  depths  pro- 
found of  a  great  soul.  All  great  men  are  self-sacrificing,  la- 
boring not  for  themselves  but  for  man. 

GREAT     FAITH. 

Great  intellects  and  great  hearts  are  indispensable  requi- 
sites in  great  men.  Another  element  is  equally  essential 
which  is  strong  faith.  The  word  is  not  here  used  in  a  strictly 
theological  sense.  We  do  not  mean  that  he  must  be  a  devo- 
ted adherent  to  the  Thirty-nine  Articles,  or  any  extended 
category  of  religious  dogmas.  He  must  have  an  unwavering 
confidence  in  God  and  his  providence,  and  in  the  ultimate  tri- 


10 

umph  of  the  right.  Faith,  in  the  sense  of  confidence,~lies  at 
the  foundation  of  all  action.  Scepticism  and  doubt  paralyze 
every  effort.  Doubt  is  an  element  of  weakness  ending  in  despair! 
It  is  the  choke  damp  af  the  world.  Faith,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  a  fountain  of  life  and  a  tower  of  strength.  Nothing  nerves 
to  exertion,  and  tunes  up  the  soul  to  persistency,  in  the  face 
of  opposition,  like  the  firm  belief  that  failure  is  an  impossi- 
bility. How  appropriate  is  the  definition  of  the  inspired 
writer:  "Now  faith  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  and 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  One  must  have  confidence 
in  his  own  powers — in  the  instruments  which  he  employs — 
the  agencies  brought  to  bear,  and  the  benefits  resulting  from 
the  accomplishment  of  his  plans.  With  tremendous  energy, 
the  man  thus  endowed,  can  throw  himself — all  his  powers — 
into  his  work,  and  feats  are  performed  which  startle  the  world, 
and  become  astounding  even  to  himself,  when  he  coolly  re- 
surveys  them  in  the  the  past. 

He  who  begins  to  doubt,  like  Peter  begins  to  sink,  and  a 
failure  is  certain.  All  the  efforts  of  such  an  one  are  but  half 
hearted  and  he  quails  at  the  least  difficulties.  Such  never 
succeed  except  by  accident — their  half-heartedness  invites 
opposition,  and  ensures  a  failure.  Some  always  succeed.  They 
are  remarkable  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  schemes. 
They  are  the  successful  men,  because  they  never  doubt;  oth- 
ers always  fail  because  they  expect  a  failure.  "According  to 
their  faith,  so  it  is  unto  them." 

Search  the  records  of  the  past,  and  no  instance  can  be 
found  where  skeptics  accomplished  anything  great,  except  in 
folly.  The  tendency  of  their  creed  is  to  tear  down,  not  to 
build  up — to  destroy,  not  to  create — to  waste  not  to  produce. 
Their  labors  have  been  nugatory,  or  positively  injurious  to 
society.  Voltaire,  Gibbon,  and  Hume,  might  at  first  view,  be 
deemed  exceptions  to  this  rule.  But  their  historical  works, 
which  among  their  writings  arc  the  only  ones  possessing  true 
merit,  were  the  result  of  their   faith,  not  of  their  scepticism. 


11 

Their  scepticism  served  only  to  mar  their  noblest  productions, 
while  those  whose  names  are  are  recorded  on  the  roll  of  fame, 
have  ever  been  distinguished  for  the  strength  of  their  faith. 
The  leaders  of  great  moral  and  religious  revolutions,  have 
always  been  men  of  remarkable  faith.  Such  were  Abraham, 
Moses,  Paul,  Augustin,  Luther,  Wesley.  Notwithstanding 
their  gigantic  intellectual  powers,  their  strong  unbending  faith 
was  the  most  prominent  trait  in  their  characters.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  great  discoverers  in  the  fields  of  science  and  art; 
Gallileo,  Capernicus,  Bacon,  Locke,  Columbus,  Newton,  Her- 
schell,  La  Place,  La  Verrier,  and  Dr.  Kane,  manifested  their 
faith  in  the  most  striking  manner.  That  it  is  the  very  soul  of 
success  in  military  affairs,  is  well  known.  Nothing  more 
surely  entails  defeat  on  the  field,  than  distrust  of  the  ability 
of  the  commander.  The  first  duty  of  the  captain  is  to  inspire 
his  soldiers  with  confidence.  The  disastrous  effects  of  defeat 
are  more  terrible  from  its  demoralizing  influence,  than  from 
the  loss  of  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  A  general,  or  an 
army,  frequently  beaten,  will  never  prove  victorious,  since 
they  do  not  expect  victory ;  discouraged  and  broken  in  spirits 
as  they  are,  by  previous  misfortunes. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  all  the  Generals  of  antiquity, 
had  implicit  faith  in  the  support  and  guardianship  of  super- 
natural power.  Cyrus,  the  great,  trusted  in  the  fiat  of  the 
supreme  God,  "That  all  Asia  was  to  be  his;  since  it  was 
foreshadowed  by  the  dream  of  his  grand-father,  who  beheld 
the  vine  springing  from  his  house  and  spreading  over  the  en- 
tire continent."  Alexander  believed  that  the  fates  had  award- 
ed him  the  empire  of  the  world,  as  he  accepted  the  forced  de- 
claration of  the  Pythoness  at  Delphi:  "Son  thou  art  invin- 
cible I"  Hence  with  the  bold  stroke  of  his  sword,  he  cuts  the 
Gordian  Knot,  and  strikes  down  the  mighty  monarch  of  Per- 
sia. Scipio  Africanus,  when  about  to  carry  the  war  into 
Africa,  went  alone  to  the  temple  of  the  Gods,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  long  time,  and  when  he  took  his   place  at  the 


12 


head  of  the  Legions,  he  firmly  believed  that  the  Gods  went 
with  him  to  guide  and  sustain  him  in  conquering  the  conquer- 
or— the  invincible  Hannibal.  Hannibal  also,  himself  the  con- 
queror of  the  Alps,  and  Italy's  mightiest  foe,  was  sustained 
by  his  firm  reliance  upon  the  leadership  of  the  God,  on  whose 
altar  he  had  consecrated  himself  in  childhood.  He  has  de- 
scribed the  vision  with  which  he  was  favored,  which  was  the 
form  of  a  beautiful  female  that  seemed  to  move  upon  the  air, 
and,  constantly  beckoning  him  forward,  suffered  him  not  to 
rest.  Julius  Csesar,  the  second  world's  conqueror,  was  in- 
spired with  confidence  in  his  destiny.  The  same  element  has 
entered  into  the  character  of  modern  military  leaders.  The 
wonderful  career  of  the  Maid  of  Orleans,  Joan  of  Arc,  is  fa- 
miliar to  all  readers  of  history.  The  heavenly  visitant  in  the 
form  of  an  angel,  appeared  to  her,  as  she  affirmed,  in  her 
rural  home,  and  guided  her  in  all  her  plans  and  movements, 
until  her  mission  was  ended,  in  the  crowning  of  the  King  of 
France,  at  Rheims.  A  career  of  military  glory  and  success 
was  achieved  by  Napoleon  I.,  unparalled  in  the  history  of 
time.  The  passage  of  the  bridge  at  Lodi,  as  he  himself  has 
stated,  amid  the  iron  tempest,  by  which  the  narrow  passage 
was  swept,  without  a  wound,  first  imparted  to  him  the  thought 
that  he  was  something  more  than  common — that  some  great 
destiny  was  provided  for  him  and  that  he  was  a  favorite  child 
of  fortue.  He  often,  afterward,  referred  to  his  star — the  star 
of  Destiny.  This  faith  nerved  him  to  the  conflict  and  aroused 
his  mightiest  energies,  and  sustained  him  in  his  almost  super- 
human labors.  The  same  principle  was  prominently  develop- 
ed in  the  mind  of  Charles  XIL,  of  Sweden,  the  Alexander 
of  the  north.  Something  of  the  same  kind  was  dimly  shad- 
ow <<1  in  the  life  of  our  Washington.  That  great  man  had 
great  confidence  in  the  God  of  battles.  That  power  which 
turned  aside  from  their  mark  the  bullets,  fired  with  deadly 
aim,  by  the  savage  chief  at  Braddock's  field,  was  the  subject 
of  his  unwavering  trust.     The  religion  of  a  great  man,  must, 


18 

then,  have  much  to  do  with  his  character  and  success.  Of  all 
systems  of  religious  faith  ever  propagated  on  earth,  Chris- 
tianity is  the  most  favorable  to  the  development  of  Great  Men! 
The  grandeur  of  its  conceptions,  the  sublimity  of  its  thoughts, 
the  infinitude  of  the  Attributes  of  the  Deity — his  Omnipo- 
tence, Omnipresence,  and  Omniscence,  and  the  vastness  of 
eternity,  must  expand  the  soul,  exalt  the  intellect  and  enoble 
the  heart  of  man.  The  unmeasurable  depths  of  God's  love 
to  man  as  manifested  in  the  cross,  and  melting  pathos  of  the 
dying  agonies  of  his  Son,  are  the  happiest  forms  in  which  the 
supernatural  has  ever  been  presented  to  the  human  mind,  and 
best  calculated  to  awaken  every  latent  energy  of  the  soul 
in  labor,  glowingly  intense,  until  it  has  scaled  the  very  heav- 
ens. Christianity  presents  also  the  purest  and  strongest  mo- 
tives to  effort,  by  appealing  to  the  most  powerful  affections, 
and  unfolding  the  good  results  of  such  labor  in  an  increasing 
tide,  spreading  over  the  boundless  field  of  eternity.  The 
benefits  to  ourselves  and  others,  appear  not  only  throughout 
the  fleeting  years  of  time,  but  during  the  countless  ages  to 
come !  Certainty  of  success  and  infinite  reward  are  promised 
in  the  Bible. 

In  this  christian  age  then  to  doubt,  is  weakness,  either  in- 
tellectual or  moral.  More  heroes,  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
term,  have  been  produced  by  it  than  by  all  the  forms  and 
phases  of  other  religions.  This  is  but  the  natural  result  of 
its  teachings  and  examples,  since  they  are  of  such  a  nature 
as  to  move  most  deeply  the  heart,  and  quicken  the  thoughts. 
None  of  the  loftiest  flights  of  the  sublimest  poets,  no  romance 
by  the  most  celebrated  author,  can  transport  imigintaion  to 
flights  so  elevated,  and  bear  it  on  pinions  so  strong,  as  the 
songs  of  the  inspired  seers.  Here  is  a  fountain  of  celestial  life 
to  thought,  feeling,  and  faith.  It  transmutes  weakness  into 
strength,  timidity  into  courage,  and  makes  the  trembling  fe- 
male and  the  little  child  stronger  and  more  enduring  than  the 
steel-clad  warrior,  yea,  mightier  than  kings  and  emperors—* 


14 


than  all  the  powers  of  earth — mightier  even  than  death  it- 
self, frowning  with  his  utmost  terror  amid  racks,  gibbets,  and 
martyr-fires.  Such  is  the  power  of  Christianity  to  sustain. 
How  great  then  must  be  its  power  to  inspire  courage  for  ac- 
tion? Patience  under  suffering  requires  greater  moral  cour- 
age, and  stronger  eifort  of  self-control,  than  aggressive  efforts, 
however  perilous  and  painful.  In  the  latter  there  is  the  em- 
ployment of  the  thoughts  in  devising  plans  and  schemes  of 
attack,  and  the  stimulus  from  activity;  and  suffering  is  not 
felt  from  the  want  of  attention  to  it.  Thousands  will  march 
bravely  into  battle,  and  storm  the  breach  in  the  face  of  almost 
certain  death,  while  but  few  can  stand  to  their  arms,  in  posi- 
tion, while  their  ranks  are  thinned  by  the  destructive  fire  of 
the  enemy. 

SELF  RELIANCE* 

Great  men  are  self-reliant.  They  depend  upon  themselves 
both  for  thoughts  and  measures,  They  are  great  and  inde- 
pendent thinkers,  forming  their  own  opinions,  deducing  their 
own  conclusions,  borrowing  from  none.  They  adopt  no  other 
man's  views,  or  fellow  his  lead  upon  mere  trust.  They  may 
subscribe  to  the  same  platform  with  their  party  in  politics  and 
religion;  they  may  agree  with  thousands  of  others,  or  rather 
these  thousands  may  agree  with  them ;  but  their  creed  is 
adopted,  not  because  it  contains  the  doctrine  of  the  party, 
but  because  they  have  subjected  the  whole  to  a  searching 
analysis,  weighed  all  the  arguments  bearing  upon  it,  and  thus 
have  demonstrated  the  truth  of  the  theory.  The  great  man 
waits  for  no  individual  or  party  of  men,  such  a  course  would 
be  inconsistent  with  his  course  of  independent  action.  Wait- 
ing for  others,  following  their  lead,  relying  upon  those  of 
acknowledged  talent,  is  to  be  a  satelite,  not  a  sun.  Great 
men  shine  by  their  own  light,  not  with  borrowed  rays.  The 
latter  is  dependence  and  intellectual  serverility — it  is  to  be 
a  mere  hawker   and  retailer   of  other  men's   wares.     The 


is 

brighter  the  orb  around  which  such  satelites  revolve,  tfys 
greater  the  obscurity  of  the  secondaries.  m 

It  is  not  here  implied  that  great  men  never  derive  aid 
from  others.  They  may  gather  hints,  suggestions,  and  facts 
from  men,  from  books,  from  experience;  but  they  work  up 
these  for  themselves  classifying,  generalizing,  and  applying 
them  according  to  their  own  judgments.  Here  is  manifested 
mental  power  above  the  masses  which  leads  to  the  discovery 
of  new  truths,  and  new  modes  of  expressing  old  ones,  and 
clothing  them  with  might  which  they  did  not  before  possess. 
These  strut  forth  in  no  borroived  plumes — no  hue  and  cry  is 
raised  after  them  by  the  ghosts  of  departed  great  men,  who 
have  been  plundered  of  their  intellectual  wealth — they  suffer 
no  arrests  from  living  authors  whose  thunder  they  have  stolen. 
Whatever  they  present  is  original,  strictly  their  own,  and 
they  have  no  spasmodic  dread  of  detectives !  Habits  of  long 
continued  and  close  thought  lie  at  the  foundation  of  self- 
reliance.  He  must  see  with  his  mind's  eye,  the  whole  subject 
in  all  its  parts  and  relations.  He  walks  firmly  in  the  light  of 
his  own  mind,  never  floundering  in  the  dark,  lost  in  the  fog, 
as  all  satelites  must  do,  when  thrown  from  their  beaten  track 
and  away  from  their  masters.  He-has  thought  out  they  whole 
subject,  knows  every  weak  point  and  all  the  strong  weapons 
of  defense.  Secure  in  his  intellectual  castle,  well  fortified,  he 
stands  prepared  to  resist  every  assault. 

Hence  the  fearlessnes,  with  which  he  enunciates  his  propo- 
sitions. Mind  governs  the  world ;  it  is  omnipotent  in  regard 
to  the  temporal  powers  of  earth.  Its  dominion  over  matter 
is  seen  in  the  triumphs  of  modern  science,  which  render  this 
age  number  one  among  all  those  that  are  past.  Thoughts 
subvert  thrones,  overturn  empires,  and  revolutionize  the 
world.  They  are  the  deep  seated  fires  of  the  volcano,  whose 
heavings  and  earthquake-throe's  make  continents  tremble. 
They  who  have  great  and  new  thoughts  hold  a  lever  power 
which  Archimedes  could  not  find. 

The  habit  of  closte  thought  must  be  formed  in  youth.     If 


16 

not  then  acquired,  its  subsequent  attainment  becomes  impossi- 
ble. The  habit  of  relying  upon  others  and  constantly  look- 
ing for  foreign  aid,  utterly  disqualifies  the  mind  for  thorough 
investigation ;  reason  becomes  paralyzed,  and  for  want  of 
exercise  expires.  The  unfortunate  owner  is  mentally  helpless. 
In  such  a  case  he  sometimes  puts  on  the  air  of  greatness, 
clad,  like  the  youthful  David,  in  the  armor  of  Saul.  But  not 
like  him,  he  has  not  sense  enough  to  put  it  aside,  knowing  its 
unsuitableness.  He  appears  with  the  thoughts  and  sentiments 
which  do  not  suit  him ;  like  the  little  boy  in  his  father's  boots, 
coat,  and  hat.  The  hat  comes  down  upon  his  shoulders,  the 
coat  trails  upon  the  ground,  and  the  boots  perfectly  swamp 
him;  so  that  he  is  invisible  in  the  extraneous  and  comical  garb. 
Equally  ridiculous  is  the  farce  of  the  satelite  which  mistakes 
himself  for  a  man. 

GREAT   IN  INDUSTRY. 

Great  men  have  always  been  remarkable  for  industry.  It 
is  the  doom  of  humanity  that  nothing  good  can  be  obtained 
without  great  labor.  Life  is  a  battle — a  conflict.  Every  one 
who  would  live  honestly,  must  labor  with  his  body  or  his  mind. 
He  who  desires  to  be  distinguished,  must  labor  earnestly  and 
constantly.  Indolence,  coupled  with  the  most  splendid  talents, 
would  sink  them  inevitably  in  the  dark  sea  of  oblivion.  The 
gas  must  be  ignited  before  its  flames  can  expel  the  darkness 
of  midnight.  Great  souls  must  be  lighted  and  kept  in  flame, 
ere  they  can  drive  away  the  gloom  of  earth's  midnight. 

Demosthenes  and  Cicero  were  examples  of  intense  applica- 
tion. The  herculean  labors  of  the  Greek  philosopher  are 
familiar  as  the  oft  told  tale.  "  Honors  must  be  plucked  from 
the  pale-faced  moon ;  or  diving  into  ocean's  depths  you  must 
drag  up  drowned  honor  by  the  locks."  Every  great  man  is  a 
miracle  of  industry.  Origen,  the  head  and  founder  of  the 
Alexandrian  school  of  the  christian  fathers,  and  the  most  dis- 
tinguished among  them  for  learning  was  the  author  of  these 


17 


thousand  volumes.     And  these  he   wrote  amid   the  incessant 

labors  of  preaching  and  teaching.  The  labors  of  Luther 
seem  almost  incredible,  while  those  of  Calvin  and  Wesley  are 
absolutely  astounding.  They  are  the  Napoleons  of  the  mor- 
al world.  Each  was  the  author  of  more  volumes  than  we 
would  suppose  one  man  could  write,  had  he  the  command  of 
all  his  time,  and  diligently  devoted  it  to  that  purpose ;  and 
yet  this  labor  was  but  the  relaxation  of  those  monarch  minds. 
They  performed  labor  enough  to  task  to  the  utmost  half  a 
dozen  ordinary  men,  in  preaching  and  lecturing.  Wesley's 
annual  circuit  of  three  thousand  miles  on  horseback  and  on 
foot  before  the  age  of  railroads,  was  traveled  nearly  sixty 
years  in  succession,  with  unflagging  zeal  and  energy.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  great  men  of  modern  times.  Walter 
Scott,  Lord  Palmerston,  Derby,  Russell,  Gladstone,  Bulwer, 
Brougham,  and  a  host  of  others,  might  be  named,  whose  memo- 
ries  will  be  transmitted  to  the  latest  generations.  Take  an 
example  or  twTo: — Lord  Brougham  stands  conspicuous  among 
the  stars  of  the  first  magnitude.  "His  indefatigable  industry 
has  become  proverbial,  and  has  now  extended  over  a  period 
of  upwards  of  sixty  years,  during  which  he  has  ranged  over 
many  fields — law,  literature,  and  science;  and  achieved  dis- 
tinction in  them  all.  How  he  contrived  it  has  been  a  mystery 
to  many.  Once,  when  Sir  Samuel  Rornily  was  requested  to 
undertake  some  new  work,  he  excused  himself,  saying,  'that 
he  had  not  time.'  'But/  he  added,  'go  to  that  fellow 
Brougham,  he  seems  to  have  time  for  everything.'  He  never 
left  a  minute  unemployed,  and  he  had  with  all,  a  constitution 
of  iron.  When  arrived  at  an  age  at  which  most  men  would 
have  retired  from  the  world  to  their  hard  earned  leisure,  per- 
haps to  doze  away  their  time  in  an  easy  chair,  Lord  Brougham 
commenced  and  prosecuted  a  series  of  elaborate  investigations 
as  to  the  laws  of  light,  and  he  submitted  the  results  to  the 
most  scientific  audiences  that  Paris  and  London  could  muster. 
About  the  same  time  he  was    passing  through  the  press  his 

2 


IS 


admirable  sketches  of  the  men  of  science  and  literature  of 
the  age  of  George  III.,  and  taking  his  fall  share  of  the  law 
business  and  political  discussions  of  the  House  of  Lords. 
The  facetious  Sidney  Smith  on  one  occasion,  recommended 
him  to  confine  himself  to  the  transaction  of  so  much  business 
only,  as  three  strong  men  could  get  through.  But  such  was 
Lord  Brougham's  love  of  work — long  become  a  habit — that 
no  amount  of  exertion  seems  to  have  been  too  great  for  him ; 
and  such  was  his  love  of  excellence,  that  it  has  been  said  of 
him,  that  had  his  station  in  life  been  a  shoe  black,  he  would 
never  have  rested  satisfied  until  he  had  become  the  best  shoe 
black  in  England." 

Napoleon  and  Wellington  were  the  hardest  workers  of  their 
age.  The  former  often  kept  four  secretaries  employed  at 
once,  and  when  they  were  exhausted  by  continuous  labor,  he 
employed  others,  taking  no  rest  himself  night  or  day,  for 
several  days  together,  both  when  he  was  in  the  cabinet  and 
in  the  field.  Wellington  always  slept  upon  his  camp  bedstead, 
which,  lest  he  should  sleep  too  long,  was  made  so  narrow  that 
he  could  not  turn  over  on  it  without  a  fall.  The  prince  of  mod- 
ern orators,  Whitefield,  like  Demosthenes,  was  most  diligent 
in  his  preparation.  He  trained  his  voice,  features  counten- 
ance, and  gestures  with  the  most  sedulous  care.  He  prac- 
ticed with  Garrick,  the  most  celebrated  actor  of  the  period, 
and  continued  to  improve  even  to  the  fortieth  repetition  of 
his  performances.  Patrick  Henry  in  those  long  summer  days 
spent  in  solitude,  when  the  people  supposed  he  was  fishing, 
practiced  his  voice  and  acquired  that  distinct  and  powerful 
enunciation,  which  enchained  public  assemblies,  and  enrap- 
tured senates.  Webster,  too,  was  most  industrious  in  the 
cultivation  of  his  powers.  Those  eloquent  words,  so  familiar 
to  every  school  boy,  uttered  at  Bunker  Hill,  "  Ye  venerable 
men,  you  have  come  down  to  us  from  a  former  generation," 
had,  no  doubt,  been  frequently  addressed  in  his  youth  to  the 
trout  glancing  in  tho  brook,whero  he  spent  his  childhood.  Henry 


L0 

Clay,  Kentucky's  noblest  son,  and  the  nation's  pride,  himself 
declared  that  scarcely  a  day  had  passed  since  his  early  man- 
hood, in  which  he  did  not  practice  the  art  of  public  speaking. 
No  day  passed  without  his  giving  utterance  to  his  own  thoughts 
or  those  of  others ;  sometimes  with  the  trees  as  his  auditors, 
sometimes  the  standing  corn,  or  wondering  herds.  There  is 
no  royal  road  to  excellence,  no  more  than  to  geometry. 
Poets  are  no  exceptions  to  this  rule ;  Walter  Scott  diligently 
studied  his  vernacular  tongue,  visiting  the  marts  of  business 
and  cottages  of  the  common  people,  noting  the  words  they 
used,  and  studying  the  workings  of  the  human  heart.  Byron, 
most  dissolute  and  seemingly  most  indolent  of  writers,  was 
most  laborious  in  cultivating  his  imagination;  for  this  purpose 
reading  the  sublimest  portions  of  the  poets  of  his  own  and 
foreign  lands. 

POWER   OF   WILL. 

Another  essential  element  of  greatness  is  a  strong  will. 
"  Woe  to  the  faint  hearted,"  says  the  Son  of  Siraih.  Most 
failures  come  from  checking  the  horse  in  the  act  of  leaping. 
Energy  of  will  is  the  very  central  power  in  man — in  a  word, 
it  is  the  man  himself.  It  gives  impulse  to  every  action  and 
soul  to  every  effort.  Of  itself  it  is  a  tower  of  strength.  It 
is  related  of  a  young  French  officer,  that  he  used  to  walk 
about  his  apartments  exclaiming,  "  I  will  be  Marshal  of 
France,  and  a  great  general."  This  ardent  desire  was  the 
presentiment  of  success,  for  he  became  a  distinguished  com- 
mander and  died  Marshal  of  France.  Mr.  Walker,  author  of 
the  original  dictionary,  had  so  much  faith  in  the  power  of  the 
will,  that  upon  one  occasion  he  determined  to  be  well,  and  he 
was  so.  This  may  not  always  succeed,  but  yet  it  is  safer  to 
follow  than  many  prescriptions.  The  power  of  the  mind  over 
the  body  is  astonishing.  Muley  Moluc,  a  Moorish  leader,  was 
lying  ill,  almost  worn  out  by  an  incurable  disease,  when  a  bat- 
tle took  place  between  his  troops  and  the  Portuguese.  Start- 
ing from  his  litter  at  the  great  crisis  of  the  fight,  he  rallied 


20 


his  army,  led  them  to  victory,  and  instantly  afterwards  sank 
exhausted,  and  expired.  Dr.  Kane,  who  triumphed  over  Polar 
snows  and  ice  and  the  rigors  of  the  arctic  winter,  in  demon- 
strating the  power  of  the  will  over  ourselves  and  others,  re- 
lates of  himself,  "  that  when  almost  dead  with  disease,  he 
could  scarcely  lift  his  hand  to  Ins  head,  surrounded  by  half 
his  crew  in  a  condition  little  better  than  his  own,  with  only 
two  who  were  just  able  to  crawl  about,  their  only  attendants, 
while  the  cold  was  70  deg.  below  zero,  and  these  two  quar- 
reling with  each  other  and  about  to  engage  in  deadly  conflict; 
and  just  then  news  is  brought  that  a  number  of  his  compan- 
ions, who  had  gone  to  make  explorations  still  nearer  the  Pole, 
were  lost  and  perishing  from  hunger  and  frost.  Then  the 
sick  man  rises,  commands  the  peace  between  the  belligerent 
companions,  and  starts  out  with  his  guide  and  a  few  of  the 
Esquemaux,  in  search  of  the  lost — finds  them  and  brings 
them  back  to  the  ship." 

He  who  firmly  resolves  upon  doing  a  thing,  by  that  very 
resolution  often  scales  the  barrier  to  it,  and  secures  its  achiev- 
ment.  To  think  that  we  are  able  is  almost  to  be  so.  Thus,  earn- 
est resolution  often  seems  to  have  about  it  almost  the  savor  of 
Omnipotence.  "Suworrow,  the  great  Russian  general,  would 
have  the  word  impossible  banished  from  the  Dictionary.  I  don't 
knoiv,  I  can't,  and  impossible,  he  detested  above  all  others. 
Learn,  do,  try,  he  would  exclaim."  "Impossible,"  said  Napo- 
leon, "  is  to  be  found  only  in  the  dictionary  of  fools."  His 
favorite  maxim  was,  "  The  truest  wisdom  is  a  resolute  deter- 
mination.' '  He  was  told  that  the  Alps  stood  in  his  way. 
"There  shall  be  no  Alps,"  he  said,  and  the  road  across  the 
Simplon  was  constructed.  This  power  of  his  mighty  will 
inspired  with  new  life  and  energy  all  around  him.  "  I  made 
my  generals  out  of  mud,"  he  said.  "  He  threw  his  whole 
force  of  body  and  mind  direct  upon  his  work.  Imbecile  rulers  of 
the  states  of  Europe  and   the  nations   they  governed,  went 


21 

down  before  him,  and  the  continent  was  revolutionized.     Such 
were  the  miracles  accomplished  by  one  resolute  will." 

NEVER   WAIT    FOR   OPPORTUNITIES. 

The  great  man  never  sits  down  idly  waiting  for  some  favor- 
able opportunity  to  commence  his  career.  An  all-important 
element  of  success  is  the  tact  to  seize  and  appropriate  the 
advantages  which  the  present  affords,  and  even  to  divert  the 
currents  of  opposition  in  his  favor — to  convert  the  circum- 
stances, untoward  in  themselves,  to  the  advancement  of  his 
cause.  By  the  aid  of  a  due  degree  of  sagacity,  and  a  strong 
will  this  can  be  done.  This  is  bending  of  the  branches  we 
cannot  break,  and  turning  them  in  the  opposite  direction. 
The  truly  great  man,  makes  even  his  enemies  to  serve  him, 
by  the  skillful  use  of  the  influences  which  they  exert. 

In  waiting,  precious  time  is  squandered,  and  his  powers  are 
languishing  and  wasting,  and  soon  will  be  rusted  out.  He 
will  begin  immediately,  if  one  door  is  not  open,  he  finds  an- 
other, and  if  none  can  be  found  he  makes  one.  He  can  make 
opportunities — battling  against  the  evils  and  wrongs  of  hu- 
manity— there  is  enough  always  to  do.  The  field  is  broad, 
and  room  for  all  can  easily  be  found.  Progress  is  the  watch- 
word of  the  age.  The  advancement  of  science,  reforms  in 
politics,  in  morals,  and  the  advancement  of  Christianity,  pre- 
sent the  most  inviting  fields.  He  selects  his  object,  then 
labors  constantly  for  its  accomplishment.  In  the  department 
of  science  he  explores  the  realms  which  he  has  chosen,  dis- 
covers new  laws  and  properties  of  matter,  and  advances  the 
knowledge  of  man,  and  his  dominion  over  the  material  crea- 
tion, and  thus  contributes  to  the  happiness  of  the  world.  In  po- 
litical affairs,  he  shows  the  oppression  and  absurdity  of  old 
systems,  and  presents  new  models  of  states,  and  freer  forms 
of  government.  In  moral  reform  he  is  frequently  a  great 
benefactor  of  the  race.  He  exposes  in  stronger  light  the 
evils  of  intemperance,  and  the  hideousness  of  vice — displays 


99 


before  the  eyes  of  the  unwary  the  gins  and  pitfalls  of  death, 
and  thousands  of  victims  take  warning  and  are  saved. 

So  in  religion,  he  may  level  successfully  his  artillery  against 
lifeless,  powerless,  vice-tolerating  formalism,  wherever  it  is 
found  enshrined,  and  he  may,  with  a  hand  that  sometimes 
seems  rude,  tear  off  the  sheep's  clothing  from  the  wolves 
which  assumed  it,  and  present  true  Christianity  in  all  its  power 
and  loveliness,  according  to  the  heavenly  pattern  left  us  by  the 
Saviour.  Then  with  burning  apostolic  zeal,  he  may  go  forth 
the  messenger  of  life  to  a  dying  world,  spreading  the  glad 
currents  of  redemption  in  heathen  lands,  and  bringing  them 
to  be  the  inheritance  of  Christ. 

He  may  be  often  opposed  by  unreasonable  men,  persecuted, 
villified,  as  was  Luther,  Calvin,  and  Wesley,  but  he  heeds  it 
not,  laboring  on,  and  if  he  dies  a  martyr,  his  blood  like  that 
of  Abel,  shall  speak  to  all  generations  following.  Then  a 
glorious  reward  awaits  him  in  the  home  of  the  skies.  He  may 
not  be  appreciated  in  his  own  age.  His  sun  may  not  arise  at 
once,  but  though  long  delayed,  it  will  burst  forth  with  greater 
glory  at  the  appropriate  time ;  and  future  generations  will  em- 
balm his  fame,  and  eternity  will  unfold  it  amid  the  rapt  ap- 
plause of  the  heavenly  hosts. 

GREAT    MEN    UNCOURTEOUS. 

Those  who  have  attained  distinction  by  their  talents  and 
labor  are  sometimes  accused  of  incivility  and  want  of  sociability. 
They  are  supposed  to  be  proud  and  haughty  in  spirit,  and 
that  they  have  an  aversion  to  mingling  with  the  masses,  "hold- 
ing the  vulgar  crowd  in  supreme  contempt." 

This  is  a  great  mistake — for  none  are  so  free  from  all 
haughtiness  and  self-elation,  as  the  truly  great  man.  He  is 
too  well  acquainted  with  his  own  imperfections  and  weakness 
to  be  proud,  and  too  much  in  sympathy  with  his  race ;  his 
love  for  them  is  too  strong  and  burning  to  permit  him  to  des- 
pise  any  man.     Nor  is  his  love  of  society  less;  but   on  the 


28 


contrary  all  the  noble,  amiable  traits,  and  sentiments  are  more 
vigorously  developed  in  his    bosom  than  in  common    hearts. 
None  would  take  more  delight — none  would  be  better  prepar- 
ed to  shine  in  the  social  circle   than  he.     The  reason  why  he 
mingles    so  little    in    society   is  the    necessity    of    constant 
employment.     He  feels  the  necesssity  of  husbanding    every 
moment  of  time,  as  there   is    so   much   to    do,  and  so  little 
space  for  its  accomplishment,  that  he  must  be  parsimonious 
of  hours.     Like  the  dying  saint  of  a  former  age,  who,  at  the 
close  of  a  laborious  life,  when  on  his  bed  and  his  hand  was  no 
longer    able  to   guide  his    pen,  employed  his  amanuensis  to 
record  his  translation  of  the  gospels  ;  as  his  breath  was  grow- 
ing short,  he  poured   forth  the   sacred  truth  with   hastening 
rapidity.     The  death  shiver  comes  over  him — his  voice  falters 
— it  is  only  for  a  moment.     He  speaks  to  the  scribe,  " hasten, 
I  feel  better."     A   few  words  more,  and   he  pours  forth  the 
blessed  words  of  the  Saviour.     He  is  weaker,  and  while  he  is 
yet  dictating  he  ceases  to  breathe,  and  angels  carry  his  spirit 
home.     Sublime  also  is  the  scene  of  the  dying  Senator,  Thos. 
H.  Benton,  when  unable  to  sit  up,  he  still  labored  with  her- 
culean energy  upon  his  great  work,  the  Congressional  Debates; 
writing  himself  as  long  as   he  was  able,  and  when  too  weak 
for  that,  employing  his  daughter  as  his  secretary.     He  died 
the  with  harness  on.     Thus,  avaricious  of  time  must  those  be, 
who  accomplish  any  good  for  the  world.     They  have  not  the 
time,  therefore,  to  stop  and  talk  with  every  one,  or  to  mingle 
in  every  social  gathering.     Their  duties  to  others  forbid   it ; 
having  obligations  to    fulfil    for  the  whole  of  their  race,  it 
would   be  wrong   to   permit  the    curiosity,    convenience,    or 
caprice  of  an  individual,  to  interfere  with  those  obligations. 
Again,  they  have  no  disposition  to  be  lionized  or  made  a  pub- 
lic show,  to  be  gazed  at  by  the  idle  crowd.    Retirement,  while 
it  is  necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  work  is  much 
more  genial  to  their  modesty,  as  they  are  thus  able  to  with- 
draw from  public  gaze.     But  to  any  one  having  business  of 


24 


*Vfl* 


importance  concerning  the  public  weal,  none  can  be  more  po- 
lite or  talk  witji  more  readiness  and  familiarity,  or  make  bis 
visitor  more  at  ease.  Should  a  leisure  moment  occur,  you 
will  find  him  most  ready  to  converse  and  serve  you  in  any 
manner,  and  you  feel  that  in  him  you  have  a  friend  on  whom 
you  can  safely  rely.  If  at  other  times  he  is  inaccessible  and 
seems  unceremonious  and  bluff,  do  not  judge  him  severely ; 
pressing  business  calls  and  he  has  no  time  to  spare.  Bat  the 
most  kind  hearted  of  friends  is  this  same  noble  man,  and 
most  ready  to  sacrifice  his  own  interests  for  the  sake  of  others. 

BENEFITS    OF    GREAT    MEN. 

That  such  minds  and  hearts  are  a  graeat  blessing  to  the 
world  it  would  seem  superfluous  to  attempt  to  prove.  Indeed 
without  them  there  could  be  no  progress  If  there  was  no 
one  more  than  ordinarily  gifted,  the  car  of  improvement  could 
not  be  pushed  forward,  and  scarcely  could  its  present  position 
be  maintained.  The  history  of  the  world  is  but  the  history 
of  its  great  men.  All  the  advancement  in  the  sciences,  all 
improvement  in  the  arts,  all  the  great  reforms  in  government, 
in  morals,  in  religion,  have  been  initiated  and  carried  forward 
by  these  mighty  spirits.  Each  nation  has  invaluable 
treasure  in  her  great  men.  They  should  be  encouraged  and 
cherished,  and  their  voice  should  be  heeded  as  the  oracle  of 
Wisdom. 

Young  Gentlemen: — As  you  have  now  finished  your  col- 
legiate course,  the  time  has  come  when  we  must  bid  you  fare- 
well. Let  me  say  in  behalf  of  the  Faculty,  that  holy  memo- 
ries of  the  hours  which  we  have  spent  together  in  these  classic 
halls,  shall  ever  linger  in  our  hearts ;  and  our  most  earnest 
wishes  for  your  success  will  ever  attend  you  throughout  the 
subsequent  battle  of  life.  Let  your  watch-word  ever  be 
"  Excelsior"  —  still  higher  excellence.  Higher,  says  the  germ 
as  it  breaks  through  the  soil,  and  expands  its  leaves  to  drink 
in  the  sunbeam  and  the  dew;  higher  says  the   vine,    as  it 


